Custom Search
|
To receive notice of each days Bible Study,
please go to my Twitter and Facebook pages and sign up.
Facebook -
| Daily Bible Study | ||
 You can help people worldwide. Please make a small donation. Make a difference in someone elses life. |
Subscribe Daily Bible Study Mailing List 
Receive Daily Bible Studies directly into your email inbox. |
Express your comments, opinions, questions, etc. |
|
You must be in fellowship prior to your Bible study, so that the spiritual information you receive can become a source, of blessing to your soul and produce spiritual growth. Daily Bible Study
Lesson # Genesis 20:11-13 Study Material - Genesis 20:11-13 You must be in fellowship prior to your Bible study, so that the spiritual information you receive can become a source of blessing to your soul and produce spiritual growth. Gen. 20:11-13 11 And Abraham said, 'Because I thought, surely there is no fear of God in this place; and they will kill me because of my wife. 12 Besides, she actually is my sister, the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother, and she became my wife; 13 and it came about, when God caused me to wander from my father's house, that I said to her,' This is the kindness which you will show to me: everywhere we go, say of me, 'He is my brother.' The wicked person ceases to fear or even recognize God, Psa. 36:1-3. They think wickedness and that is their reality. They are totally disconnected from reality. To reason with them is useless, because they lack the ability to reason in truth. They only have their own bias and prejudices for the false reality which they want to be their truth. They can speak cleverly and convincingly to the ignorant, but their deceptions do not work on the person who has discernment. Abraham has discernment, because he has Bible doctrine in his soul. But when one is revolting emotionally and out of fellowship, and in a mode of closing his eyes to the truth, then he is blinded temporarily and his imaginations can conjure up some of the nuttiest ideas. Here Abraham comes up with the lamest excuse. 'I thought...', why? Well in this place there are idols. There are many social practices that Abraham has learned are not right like the harem concept. The king is in charge and rules with some sort of power, but not necessarily ruthless power. Abraham has no real basis for thinking what he thought. He was just feeling pity for himself and that led to fear for his own life. Abraham came down to this region out of a reaction to the Sodom and loss of Lot event. He was away from doctrine. And this is a pretty sharp drop from faith since just days or weeks prior he was strong enough to circumcise himself and all the males in his camp based solely on the command from God. So he has a little tantrum and that is exactly what it was. He still had the promise from God that he would have a son from Sarah. Sarah was not yet pregnant. Could God not keep him safe long enough to have his son? Had God made a mistake? Is Abimelech stronger than God? Abraham had to remember the important things of doctrine that he 'temporarily' forgot. True there was not much, if any, worship of God in this region. True, some one saw Sarah and told Abimelech and Abimelech sent for her. All this in the same manner as the Pharaoh affair many years earlier. Abraham panicked briefly. Sarah went along with it, again. After all this was not a real lie. Sarah really was his sister. Same father, different mother. His dad had multiple women obviously. Abraham has been with but one women, Sarah, all his life with one little exception, Hagar. And since that episode, Abraham has been faithful to Sarah and will be for the remainder of her life. She is his half sister, but she is also his wife, and therein lies the deceit. He withheld information that was pertinent, therefore the lie. Telling half a truth is still a lie. Deceitful people play this game a lot. Now for the recollection of doctrine, verse 13. Abimelech questions as to why this deception. Abraham comes up with a lame excuse, then explains his relationship with Sarah. This explanation turns to a the plan God had set forth in Abraham's life. God caused Abraham to leave his fathers house in Ur. But marrying ones sister was looked down upon, so Abraham and Sarah agreed that if the issue ever came up, they would reveal only the brother sister relationship, so as to reduce the stigma of the marriage. The stigma again was in their own minds. Did God ever tell them that they had sinned? No. God instead blessed them based on Gods plan, based on doctrine they knew, based on their levels of faith, even though they had their moments of failure. Here briefly we see Abraham remembering God even though he combines it with his agreed excuse with Sarah. By verse 17, this will all be clear again to Abraham. Abraham cause the problem, and Abraham will be the one to pray not for himself, but for Abimelech. We will get to the reason for that when we get to that verse. Abimelech saw no fault in his actions. He had his own integrity - that is the way he was used to living his life. He had his own publicly accepted morals and that included having multiple women for his own pleasure. He had his idols, but his idols never came to him in a dream, let alone threatening death to him. That would shake anyone up. Even in his discussion with Abraham, Abraham gave his reasons, but Abimelech did not repent his own life style. Abimelech did obey the commands from God, he will give back Sarah, untouched, and pay restitution, but will still believe that he did nothing wrong. People who live outside the Word of God, develop a comfort level in their chosen life style. Their morals and standards develop as their desires and the availability or opportunity of circumstances present themselves. When something comes along that tests their morals, tests their guilt, then they become agitated, uneasy, they search for someone to blame. After all they just want to live their life as they choose. Who are they hurting? They fail to see the truth in that their soul is the victim and that society who looks to its leadership for guidance is or can be led astray by the wrong examples. So society begins the downward trend and Sodom is the eventual result. As the collective souls of a people deteriorate, then the potential for sin and violence and corruption, etc., rises. Only to the extent that Bible doctrine might provide some tempering influence, is this failure in society put in check. Abraham and Sarah, together had a plan. God has a plan. Abimelech has his own ideas of life. When they all came together, Gods plan came out on top. God has the power to bless or to judge. Abraham's plan solved nothing, but only made matters worse. Abraham played the deceit game. Abimelech had his own ideas, and they included a rather loose life style. He ignored the principles of establishment, the principles by which God had paced him in the position as king. Remember our study of Nebuchadnezzar - God appoints all persons to their respective positions. To whom much is given, much is expected. Abimelech was not placed in the position of king for his own selfish pleasure, but to be responsible as a leader of his people. He failed in this respect. Now God, through the dream, has to straighten everyone out, and to teach some principles of doctrine. Sin comes with a price. It is always a price greater than one can afford, and only the righteous can convey that price to God. Jesus Christ is our intermediary. He went to the Cross for everyone of us and paid the price that we could never pay, even collectively. He reconciled us to God. He redeemed us to God. All by His own work on the Cross. We neither earned it nor deserved it. So it was with Abraham and Sarah, and Abimelech. Abraham will recognize the error and recover. Abimelech will obey the command but not recognize the principle. Unfortunately too many people go through life just going through the motions that are expected of them in public, but they never learn the lesson. 'Why me? What did I do?', is their lame excuse. Self righteous people never find fault in themselves. Although Abraham's explanation was lame, so too was Abimelech's false integrity. 
Now is the time to post a prayer. End Of Lesson Study to show thyself approved (mature) unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing (studying/discerning), the Word of truth. |
|
Subscribe Daily Bible Study Mailing List 
Receive Daily Bible Studies directly into your inbox. |
|
|
|
|